IROC poised to make a return with Ray Evernham and Rob Kauffmann

From Adam Stern for Sports Business Journal:

Race Team Alliance Chair Rob Kauffman and NASCAR HOFer Ray Evernham have teamed up to purchase the IROC brand in a bid to revive the iconic racing series. Details on their exact plans for the series are scant, but the duo plan to announce this morning that they are re-launching the brand that formerly held all-star style races from 1973 to 2006.

Surprising, but welcome news on a Monday. Evernham was originally involved in SRX, which started in 2021 as the spiritual successor to IROC, but left the organization after the inaugural season. Those who watch Mitchell Stapleton’s videos on YouTube know that Evernham’s enthusiasm for the IROC brand and the classic machinery is infectious. In a press release posted to Twitter, IROC Holdings shared their intent to run a race in 2024 with historic IROC cars. I hope that that nostalgia can give one of my childhood favorite racing series a second wind, but if the only thing that comes from this is IROC merch, I’ll be satisfied.

Gil de Ferran passes away at age 56

From the Associated Press:

Gil de Ferran, the 2003 Indianapolis 500 winner and holder of the closed-course land speed record, died Friday while racing with his son at The Concourse Club in Florida, multiple former colleagues confirmed to The Associated Press. He was 56.

Fellow Brazilian driver Tony Kanaan said de Ferran was with his son, Luke, at the private course in Opa-Locka, Florida, when he pulled over and said he wasn’t feeling well. Kanaan said de Ferran apparently suffered a heart attack and could not be revived.

What awful news. de Ferran won the Indy 500 in 2003, which meant that he wasn’t around when I fell in love with the series during the practice sessions for the 2004 race. He did, however, race in the American Le Mans series when I was just getting into sports car racing, and as someone I recognized from reading Indy 500 programs, he was easy to pick as a favorite. He will be missed.

Apple Announces Prime Time Fall Keynote

This afternoon, Apple announced its “Scary Fast” event for Monday, October 30 at 8p ET. It’s strange to see an Apple event scheduled to start so late in the day, but as someone who works a job with normal office hours in the Midwest, I’m pleased that I’ll have some nerdy counter-programming to Monday Night Football.

As Mark Gurman noted on Twitter,, it’s hard to imagine Apple having an event, much less one at 8p ET with a potentially larger than normal US audience, for a measly iMac spec bump. It seems like updated MacBook Pros are a good shout from what Gurman says, but I’m hoping for a modern day iMac Pro, even though I’m not in the market for such a machine.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Announces 2024 Solar Eclipse Event

From the Indianapolis Motor Speedway:

It’s a once in a lifetime experience, and there’s no better place to enjoy it than at the Racing Capital of the World! Join the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and NASA on April 8, 2024, for the Total Solar Eclipse that will cross North America.

NASA has accepted our invitation to broadcast live from our facility, and NASA experts will be on-hand to answer questions about the scientific phenomenon that is a total solar eclipse!

This sounds like something that is right up my alley. I watched the previous solar eclipse to be visible from Indianapolis on the tarmac of the Indianapolis International Airport in 2017, and as cool as that was, I think this might have it beat. Here’s to hoping that the clear weather we have today repeats itself on this day next year.

Ryan Hunter-Reay Announces Return to Indy 500 With Dreyer & Reinbold

From Dreyer & Reinbold Racing on Twitter:

Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is proud to announce Ryan Hunter-Reay in the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 to pilot the No. 23 Chevrolet-powered car!

It was strange last year not to see RHR at the Indy 500, so his return is much appreciated. I don’t expect him to be contending for the win with Dreyer & Reinbold, but I’m glad that the man who won the best race I’ve ever attended is getting another run at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

The CW and Vice release trailer for 100 Days to Indy

From IndyCar on YouTube:

The first look from ‘100 Days to Indy’ debuted at @SXSW earlier this week.

See for yourself what all the hype is about and tune in on April 27 on @thecw.

A promising preview of what’s to come next month. If the trailer is any indication, this should be a treat for both new and old fans.

Kyle Larson announces 2024 Indianapolis 500 entry with Arrow McLaren

From Arrow McLaren:

Champion driver Kyle Larson will join McLaren Racing for the 2024 Indianapolis 500, adding to Arrow McLaren’s star-studded lineup for the “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” 

Kyle’s Chevrolet will be co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rick Hendrick and carry title partnership from HendrickCars.com. Rick is the chairman and CEO of Hendrick Automotive Group and the owner of 14-time NASCAR Cup Series champions Hendrick Motorsports, which Kyle has driven for since 2021. 

I must say, this is the earliest I’ve seen an Indy 500 entry announced, but when it’s one as overdue as this, I’ll happily take it.

Ken Block passes away at age 55

From Hoonigan Industries on Instagram:

It’s with our deepest regrets that we can confirm that Ken Block passed away in a snowmobile accident today.

Ken was a visionary, a pioneer and an icon. And most importantly, a father and husband.

Awful, tragic news. For people my age, Ken was the car guy. His Gymkhana videos transcended motorsports and car culture to become relevant in the mainstream. I’ll remember him for his participation in the old Global RallyCross series. While he never had the racecraft of some of his GRC competitors like Scott Speed or Travis Pastrana, it was clear that his feel and spatial awareness inside the car was other worldly. He will be missed.

SRX announces 2023 schedule

From SRX:

The series will kick off its 2023 schedule at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, Connecticut on July 13th. After that, the series will travel north for its first visit to the iconic Thunder Road Speedbowl in Barre, Vermont on July 20th. SRX will then head south to Virginia for a shootout at Motor Mile Speedway on July 27th before visiting Michigan for the first time to race at the esteemed Berlin Raceway in the greater Grand Rapids area on August 3rd. The series will culminate its 2023 season with back-to-back dirt races at Eldora Speedway (OH) on August 10th, followed by the championship race at Lucas Oil Speedway in Missouri on August 17th.

This news comes a week after SRX confirmed the return of Thursday Night Thunder on ESPN. I’m a little disappointed that Salem Speedway, the Bristol-racealike that’s an hour from my doorstep, isn’t included, but it’s hard to knock the tracks that did make the cut for 2023. I’m excited to see what new drivers make their way into the series next year, especially with those who already have full-time commitments on the weekends maybe finding an open Thursday night to do some short track moonlighting.

IndyCar licensing agreement with iRacing to expire at end of year

From the iRacing forums via @GPLaps on Twitter:

Our current license agreement with IndyCar is set to expire on December 31, 2022. IndyCar has signed an exclusive license with another developer that goes into effect on January 1, 2023. While we are still working on finalizing a new license with IndyCar, it is clear there will be some notable changes to the way we are able to present IndyCar racing on iRacing. Most significantly, we will no longer be able to run an official IndyCar branded series and there will not be an iRacing Indy 500. You will also see the removal of the IndyCar Series logo from our sites.

I’m not a sim racer, but the feels like yet another example of short-term, petty thinking by Penske Entertainment’s IndyCar leadership. As a result of this agreement ending, IndyCar iRacing series’ can no longer feature current IndyCar tracks, and streaming of races using any IndyCar-related cars from past or present is now banned.

After short-changing the Indy Lights champion of his scholarship, cancelling the plan of 2.4 liter engines, shouting down journalists who dare be critical of the series’ direction, and several more shortcomings, it’s becoming hard to square Roger Penske, the owner of IndyCar, versus Roger Penske, successful businessman and owner of team that was won eighteen Indianapolis 500s. It seems impossible that somone whose leadership group has made so many questionable decisions with regard to the stewardship of the series can be so successful in other forms of business, including other facets of motorsports.